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Tennis tip: Don't Hit the Wall

Tip of the Week: Don't Hit the Wall

11/18/02 7:29 PM

By Tony Lance, TENNIS Magazine

Nov. 18, 2002--Perhaps the most frustrating error tennis players make is hitting the ball into the net. Though often caused by ambitious shotmaking and strokes produced with little margin for error, the problem can also be due to the transparent nature of the net itself. Because you can see through the net to the other side of the court, you can sometimes be fooled into aiming lower than you should.

To prevent this visual trickery, imagine that the net is a solid wall. (Some instructors even go so far as to drape fabric over the net to enhance the effect.) This will give you a more realistic view of the barrier in the middle of the court and help you hit your shots higher. That, in turn, will mean more consistency and greater depth.

hrmms...maybe this can be turned into some kind of new drill. Since you dont really know where your opponents are at since you cant really see over the net, unless your super tall, then you wont know where the bird is coming from. So you need to be alert and quick on your feet to get to the bird. Maybe i should try it with a couple friends of mine. It may actually work as a new kind of drill...unless someone has already came up with it for badminton.

hey its actually a great drill... by merely training your mind to hit the lines of the court without actually seeing it will be a great skill to have.. it's like learning martial arts blind folded.. but if u'replyaing a game make sure u have a neutral lines person!

I can see how this would apply to tennis, where the player is at the back end of the court and so moves either forward or to a side for the shot, with the ball coming in low over a low net. In badminton, the line of sight is different. Don't we hit most of our shots without the net in the line of sight?--we use our instincts and training to determine in our mind where the net is (but it is not a fully conscious thought). Most of the time we hit into the net because of poor execution, not because we misjudge where we are, wouldn't you say?

Short serves, returns, and other close net shots is the only time I deliberately pay attention to the net.

It would not be much of a smash if it was hit from below the level of the net and was travelling upwards, would it?

Anyway, we use this drill a lot in training. Drape sheets over the net and have someone behind them throwing shuttles over. It is supposed to improve sharpness at the net and overall reaction time from sight of the shuttle to impact. It should force you to adopt a more attacking position and improve the fast reflexes in your footwork.

well, if you put a drape over the net, you could still see feet running around and head bopping w/ racquet head next to it. Think of the fun that would be to play badminton without seeing your opponent.

As a coach, I've often used covering the net with newspapers as part of a "fun & games" session.

It is actually quite entertaining and very popular among the players... Probably because it suddenly appears that the ones who may be the best at "normal" badminton are not necessarely the best at these "fun & games".

Other games could be playing with one eye covered, playing doubles with only one racquet/pair, playing with a balloon attached to the racket, playing with a racket head attached to a golf handle (thereby making the racket very long), playing with a racket head attached to a tabletennis handle (thereby making the racket very short), playing left-handed, if you are right-handed.. and so on...

The lines

I have to say I never look at the lines during a game, I just hit it in the mental direction (hopefully the right distance) to be an "in" shot. Especially for smashes........hard to look at the lines and smash at the same time......